


If Existance was an Ocean

by Annjo_Wolfe



Series: Stories of Whimsy [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Ocean, Surreal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:47:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25624624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annjo_Wolfe/pseuds/Annjo_Wolfe
Summary: The Great Ocean was dark and still as it always had been. Echoes of sound make their way to every corner of the Great Ocean, sounds of creatures large and small and the expanse of water moving across the endless depths. This is where the Mermaid does their work.
Series: Stories of Whimsy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1857460
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

The Great Ocean was dark and still as it always had been. Echoes of sound make their way to every corner of the Great Ocean, sounds of creatures large and small and the expanse of water moving across the endless depths. This is where they do their work.

The Mermaid, swimming through the yawning darkness, with something cradled within their arms. They search for something, eyeing the darkness surrounding them they search for the familiar light of the system. The creature in their arms sits there, glowing and waiting, patient. A familiar movement catches their attention, it is slow and steady. The Mermaid swims, for they know the creature in their arms will find be needed.

Through the dark is deep and yawning, pinpricks of light permeate through the gloom, creatures swimming, or simply floating through the water. The Mermaid swims by a cluster of glowing coral and tiny jellyfish, all huddle together by the will of the Great Ocean alone. Small and starry as they blend in with the fainter light of creatures a great distance away, sometimes farther than the Mermaid themself has swum. Yet somehow their light carries through the expanse of ocean, just as the echoing sound does.

The Mermaid moves onto the cluster they are searching for though, noting the Great Ocean has moved them a distance from where they saw it last. Yet they have never gotten lost within these waters yet.

The Mermaid finds the system they were looking for, a cluster of coral and many other small creatures, swimming, dancing in a circle surrounding the luminous sphere at the centre. They always smile at the intricacies of this one. The beautiful interconnected relationships this system has, as smaller lights migrate to the large one, long ones, thick ones, ones of all shapes and sizes and starry patterns. Creature or coral, one can hardly tell. Some have their own glow, wanting to free float on the outskirts of the system, while others reflect the glow, preferring to stay close to the beautiful sphere. Some ones rely on the glow and have no means to glow on their own, but they have no need to fear. Ones that reflect seem to have a softness for the glow-less ones, ensuring they have enough light to live. Some glow-less ones have many, as they circle in their own, private dance.

The Mermaid smiles, but notices one of the liveliest, glow-less creatures. Their dance with their reflecting partner is slowing, near stopping. The reflecting one is dimming, greying, into nothing. It is dying. The Mermaid is worried. The glow-less one, a coral of blue and green in the light, it is fragile, holding a little system of its own on and under its surface. And it dances, as the reflecting one it has paired with slowly dies. It is sad too; it knows what must happen.

The Mermaid sighs, pulling the creature it was holding from their arms, it waxes and wanes nervously, as they bring it closer to the coral. In one hand the Mermaid brings the luminous one closer, young and alive, and in the other they gently scoop the waning one away, old and dying. They release the new one to dance, it is nervous at first, and the coral is hesitant, mourning. Yet they soon find harmony and begin a new dance.

The Mermaid is relieved, cradling the dying one safely. Carrying it away to the outskirts of the cluster, with the starry fish swimming freely, playing their own games with some unusual reflecting ones who sit on the outskirts to keep them company. There the Mermaid floats, kissing the dying one gently, curling around it protectively as it finally ceases to go on.

The Mermaid’s heart ached, as they give a soft cry for the now one, now gone away. Slowly they release it, as it floats off in some direction into the gloom of the Great Ocean. To where it goes, the Mermaid does not know. The Mermaid calms, looking at the dance, before swimming into the gloom to tend to the other systems, floating freely in the depths.


	2. Chapter 2

The Mermaid swims away from a dancing system of glow creatures and coral, dimmer than some others they have seen but no less beautiful and kind to each other. The gentle glowing centre of the rotating spherical masses and finned creatures cradled all who wished to join the dance or merely live close to its safe light. The Mermaid smiled gratefully at it, swimming further away into the darkness, leaving the light behind.

The Great Ocean was quiet and still as always while the Mermaid glides gracefully through the gloom. Out of the corner of their eye they see something that makes their head snap up curiously. Squinting, the Mermaid glimpses the erratic dodging and weaving of a cluster of dim lights. Swimming forwards they see the panicked starry creatures, some tiny others large and finned, swim around a group of coral spheres. Dread overtakes them as they rush towards the tiny glow-less creatures, who are dancing lazily and obliviously around the glowing ones.

Scooping all the coral gently, the Mermaid notes the newness and the young-ness of them. They must have been searching for a centre glow-sphere to dance with and mistook the glow-beasts for one. The Mermaid turns to face the glow creatures as they dance around the Mermaid gratefully, their light barely reflecting off the dark blackness of the Mermaid’s tail. The Mermaid though tries to reflect the gratitude back at them, for these lightless ones would have perished without the safety of their light.

The Mermaid sighs, for a glow sphere must be found for these glow-less beasts. There is no space in any dancing systems for any new reflecting ones, even the kind yet dim system had no more room. Releasing the new coral from their arms, they shoot off into the depths of the Great Ocean, turning for only a second to see the light-beasts coax the coral together.

They swim for some time, deeper and farther for any sign of a system with room or a lonely centre sphere in need of a dancing system. They find some starry creatures, slightly bigger than the tiny glow beasts guarding the new coral. But they were too small to work. Seeing another, the Mermaid twirls with joy, only to find this one is far too big, and far too old. Swimming to meet this one, the Mermaid sadly places their arms around it. The Mermaid hopes they reflect sorrow to this sphere and gladness at meeting it, the old centre sphere glows gratefully and beckons the Mermaid to continue forth on their journey. The Mermaid does, watching as the glow-sphere explodes, shedding debris into the darkness as it dims.

Looking around them, the Mermaid sees the blackened and barely tangible remains of centre spheres, this place acting like a grave, far away from living systems and creatures to avoid hurting them when centre spheres die. Though none are here now, the Mermaid feels the large dying one will become a light explosion, growing even as it dims until it shoots its material far into the Great Ocean, giving birth to many new glow spheres.

The Mermaid searches and searches going further and further from the familiar into unknown places and parts which beckon dread from within them. The part they had reach is violent and dangerous, and they are quickly swept away by a powerful current, tumbling top over tail for what seems like ages. They sweep their tail again and again and finally escape the current. When the Mermaid takes in their surroundings, they realise they are in the darkest part of the Great Ocean they have ever experienced. It isn’t still, as the Mermaid feels a small current pulling them insidiously along.

It isn’t silent either, as they hear the echoing screeches of something far away, there is a dull hum surrounding them, suffocating them. They feel suddenly as if their mind isn’t their own, their arm and tail shakes and their body seizes in panic. They curl protectively around themselves, blocking out the sound as they try and calm down.

A light meets their eyes, and the Mermaid shoots to attention for any sign of a threat. Gasping in amazement, they panic is cut through by the sight of a small glowing thing, jerking fearfully in the darkness. Scooping it up happily, they find it’s a young centre sphere. Huffing gladly, the Mermaid knows it’s the perfect size for the new glow-less ones. Cooing to it gently, the Mermaid gives a happy twirl when everything goes silent.

This isn’t the safe, warm silence of the familiar Great Ocean. This silence is heavy and deadly. The Mermaid knows… something is coming. A grating roar cuts through the silence. It’s loud, booming even, and the Mermaid knows it can’t be an echo. Rushing forward, their tail treads through the water. The flickers and sputters, terrified in their arms, sending beacons on light through the darkness.

The Mermaid tries to calm it, knowing it will attract whatever made that noise. Nearly succeeding, the Mermaid stops dead when they catch a large tendril teasing their periphery. The roar that follows makes them freeze, coming from ahead of them.

The Mermaid squints desperately into the yawning blackness, it is almost … void-like. Something isn’t right, they decide, holding up the glowing creature to ahead of them. The light glints off coral far above them, oddly sharp and immaculate. They notice the insidious current pulling them closer and closer, as if the coral is descending behind them.

The sphere flickers in panic and the Mermaid instinctively looks down, finding a similar cluster of coral ascending behind them. Twisting around violently, they shine the light all around them to find themselves in a cavern-like place with the two coral clusters moving farther and farther behind them.

The coral clusters were teeth… and this was a mouth.

They shoot towards the closing teeth, faster than they have ever swam before. They try and try but they aren’t fast enough as the teeth edge out of view and a hungry sound rumbles from deep within the cavern. The Mermaid is terrified, letting out rapid squeaks and clicks that get louder and louder, turning to stare into the void knowing there is no hope.

They let out one piercing, shattering scream that echoes through the dark, so loud even the sphere creature dims in alarm. The water around them shutters and grumbles as the teeth open slightly. Wasting no time, the Mermaid swims towards the opening, teeth only just missing their tail.

Without a passing glance, they rush away, catching a fast current of water that drags them off into the darkness. They hope it won’t follow them.

The young glow-less ones dance around their new centre-sphere, as it glows happily at its companions. The glow creatures that guarded them join in happily circling the outer edges of the newly formed system. The Mermaid smiles thankfully at them for their work and effort, deciding to visit them soon to check. As they swim into away into the blackness and swear, they can hear the quiet echoes of a roar. They quickly turn back to the system.

The centre-glowing one understands, it shakes sometimes too. The Mermaid curls at the edge of the light, where some finned-beasts dance around them. They will have to leave eventually, but as the imagined echoes play in their mind, they decide, for now, they will stay here.


End file.
